- Tribepad surveyed 2011 UK adults to gather their views on job application bias.
- The research reveals that 76.5% of people don’t trust prospective employers to use diversity data for applicants’ benefit.
- Blind Recruitment is the alternative of choice for most jobseekers, who believe it can help eliminate unconscious bias from applications.
A new survey has revealed that just 23.5% of candidates believe that their diversity data is being used to benefit their applications.
The study, which was conducted by specialist talent acquisition software provider Tribepad (www.tribepad.com), suggests there is a culture of uncertainty among candidates who fear that diversity data is fuelling bias rather than combatting it.
Published as part of Tribepad’s Stop The Bias Report, the survey of more than 2011 applicants suggests that employers’ current approach to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion simply isn’t working.
“Thanks to the ubiquitous diversity, equity and inclusion forms that form part of modern applications, today’s candidates are as used to sharing personal information with potential employers as they are salary expectations and start dates,” said Tribepad CEO, Dean Sadler.
“Despite the massive amounts of data companies are collecting, however, this process is seen as a tick box exercise by candidates who believe that vital data is being ignored entirely or actively used against them.”
Given the levels of applicant scepticism, it’s perhaps no surprise that almost 8 out of 10 respondents to the survey feel that processes would be fairer if recruitment remained anonymous.
Known as Blind Recruitment, this approach removes all information about an applicant in order to make the process completely anonymous. This removes the possibility of unconscious bias and means that applicants are reviewed solely on their abilities with information such as their name, gender or date of birth hidden from hiring managers until candidates are invited to interview.
Tribepad has embedded Anonymous Applications directly into their award-winning software, which makes it easy for talent acquisition leaders to avoid unconscious bias while delivering a positive user experience to candidates.
About Tribepad
Tribepad is a specialist talent acquisition software provider, serving some of the UK’s best-known organisations such as the BBC, Tesco, Sodexo, Serco and G4S. Its award-winning software includes an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), video interviewing, employee onboarding, freelancer management and job boards. Tribepad helps organisations save time and money in the recruitment process while delivering a positive user experience for employers and candidates. Its software is used by more than 25 million people and is available in 16 languages worldwide.
More about Tribepad: www.tribepad.com
Methodology
Information for the Tribepad Stop The Bias Report was gathered through an independent online survey of 2011 adults from across the UK. Fieldwork took place in December 2021, the results were then indexed and compared to produce the final report.
